I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire Series: Wayward Children #6
Published by Tor.com on January 12 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 176
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A low-key entry into McGuire’s popular series, Across the Green Grass Fields introduces a new character and sets the stage for more adventures.
I’m always excited when a new Wayward Children book comes out, but unfortunately, this latest installment didn’t quite work for me. It wasn’t a bad book, per se, but it just didn’t have the emotional impact I’ve come to expect from this series. Regan is a new character, so this particular installment didn’t have that connection to the rest of the series that I’ve enjoyed in some of the previous books, which is probably another reason I didn’t like it as much. On the other hand, new readers could probably jump right into this book without worrying about the fact that it’s actually book #6 in the series.
This is the story of Regan Lewis, a horse-crazy, prepubescent girl and an only child who lives with her loving parents. Regan is lucky enough to be friends with Laurel Anderson and Heather Lewis, two of the most popular girls in school. But all that changes one day when Heather finds a garden snake and brings it to school to show Laurel. Laurel is horrified and declares snakes to be far out of the realm of what girls should be interested in, and she immediately ostracizes Heather from the group, insisting that she “doesn’t understand how to play like a girl.” Regan, wanting to stay inside Laurel’s magical circle of friends at all costs, stops talking to Heather as well, but she also wonders just what it means to be a girl and how she fits into Laurel’s narrow vision of girlhood.
“Being a girl” becomes even more important when Regan realizes that all her friends are starting to go through puberty—changing bodies, starting their periods, etc—but Regan is not. She decides to ask her parents, and she’s shocked and dismayed when they reluctantly tell her that she is intersex. Regan is upset and confused and wants to confide in someone, and so she approaches the one girl who she thinks will understand, Laurel. Unfortunately, Laurel doesn’t understand and in fact dumps Regan immediately. Sad and angry, Regan stumbles off into the nearby woods, discovers an odd door, and decides to go through. But when she emerges, she finds herself in a different world, full of centaurs and unicorns and other magical, hoofed creatures. Regan finds the acceptance she craves among a family of centaurs, but someone in the Hooflands doesn’t want her there…
As she does in the other Wayward Children books, McGuire focuses on gender identity and staying true to yourself, and once again she tackles these themes really well. In fact, the first part of the book, before Regan goes through the door into the Hooflands, was my favorite part of the story. All Regan wants is to be like all the other girls in her class, but news of her intersex condition makes her question her identity. She knows deep down she is a girl, but it takes some soul searching and the loving support of her parents and the friends she makes in the Hooflands to feel good about herself. I believe this is the first intersex character in this series and I applaud McGuire for including Regan in her story.
The entire series is based on the idea of “home” and just what that means, and this book addresses that idea very well. All of the characters in the series have been through a magical door at some point in their lives, and they’ve also gone back through the door into the mundane world. McGuire explores the emotional impact of having to leave a beloved place, especially how that affects children, and we get to see Regan deals with this reality—although her experience isn’t nearly as gut wrenching as some of the other characters’ experiences.
But as far as the plot goes, I just wasn’t that invested in the Hooflands story, which is a shame because usually the parts that take place in the fantasy realms are my favorite. I’m also surprised because I was a horse-crazy kid myself, and I really expected to connect more with the horsey characters. Regan immediately makes friends with a centaur named Chicory, and they were cute together, I guess? I did love a couple of side characters named Gristle (a kelpie) and Zephyr (a peryton), and I wish they had been a bigger part of the story.
The time that Regan spends in the Hooflands is odd, too. Six years pass from the day she opens the door to her inevitable trip back home, and for such a short novella, conveying that passage of time felt a bit awkward. The main conflict revolves around the ruler of the Hooflands, Queen Kagami, who is apparently looking for Regan. But I never got the sense that anything truly important was at stake, and a weird twist involving the Queen at the end simply left me puzzled.
I think this story might have worked better for me if we’d met Regan earlier in the series. (And if I’m wrong about that and I just don’t remember Regan, please let me know!) I do like going back and learning the characters’ origin stories, but without even knowing Regan to begin with, Across the Green Grass Fields just didn’t have as big an impact on me.
The ending seems likely to lead into a future installment of the series, and I’m actually looking forward to seeing Regan interact with some of the other characters I’ve come to love.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
I agree with you completely, but I really loved it. I do think this is the first time we’ve met Regan. I’m looking forward to going back to the school timeline now, too. 🙂
I’m glad you loved it so much! I would like to see Regan again:-)
It saddens me to see only 3 stars for the new installment in this series, and since I felt lukewarm toward the previous one I hope this does not point toward a downward path for the series itself. Your description of the first part of the story, with its focus on identity and group dynamics, sounds fascinating (and I know how good McGuire can be with this kind of theme) so I hope it will prove enough to “sustain” me until the next novella…
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…THE PHLEBOTOMIST, by Chris Panatier
There have been ups and downs for me with this series, but overall I’m glad I’m reading it, and also glad to be caught up!
I’ve read the first book of this series but I decided I didn’t like it enough to continue reading.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday | Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing and Light by Nikita Gill
You’re not the only one I know who feels this way.
I was wondering if we’d met Regan earlier too, but I don’t think so. (I was thinking maybe she was somewhere in the background in an earlier book at the school). I loved Regan as a character as well — in general, the pre-door lives of the characters in these books are always so fascinating and moving. I know I loved this book a lot more than you did, but we agree on a lot of key points too.I love this series so much!
I love this series too. I guess I prefer the stories that have more darkness and emotion, like the story of Jack and Jill especially.
This is another series I’ve yet to try but would like to. I’ve collected the earlier ones in ebook form, just need to prioritize them. 🙂
They are short, so I guess easy to squeeze in if you want:-)
I haven’t read this series but Robin is reviewing it on Monday.
Anne – Books of My Heart recently posted…Series on Saturday: I LOVE London
I’ll look for her review:-)
One day I’ll read this series! Sorry to see this one was not as good as some of the earlier books.
They have their ups and downs, but I’m invested in the series now so I’ll keep reading them, lol.
Aww I’m sorry this was a bit disappointing. I do love the sound of her exploring what it means to question her identity, as well as what “home” is- and also the idea of returning from another world and what that entails. I love a good look at someone discovering who they are. Bummer that it didn’t quite connect more…
And there’s a peryton???
Greg recently posted…Sunday Post #385
Yes, do you know what a peryton is? I had no idea, lol.
Sorry this one didn’t work quite as well as some of the others for you. I still need to catch up with these eventually whenever I get over being mad at Seanan (I’m petty, what can I say? LOL). My favorite of these remains Down Among the Sticks and Bones, I think it will be hard to top that one for me. 🙂 Great review, Tammy!
OK should I ask why you’re mad at Seanan?? And I agree, Down Among the Sticks and Bones is my favorite too:-)
Well, I only ever read the first so I’m so far behind already i”ll probably never catch up.
Lynn 😀
Ha ha I feel that way with so many series:-)
Hello Tammy, I am peeking back at this review now that I’ve finished reading the book myself. You’ve hit the nail on the head with those three words at the beginning – “low-key entry”. I felt similarly about this book. It has a different atmosphere from other books in the series. I didn’t find any of the heart wrenching emotion, either. I hesitate to say some of this, because I don’t think the book is necessarily bad and I think there are readers who /will/ find the story powerful and important. But for me it was just a bit too much of a departure from my favourite titles in the series. Anyway, great review!
Jenna @ Falling Letters recently posted…The Liar’s Dictionary: An Unusual Work of Literary Fiction [Review]
Thanks Jenna! I’m glad someone else agrees with me. There are quite a few fans of this book, which is great, but it’s definitely not my favorite. I miss the emotion and the darker themes.